Tag Archives: book review

I’m joining in on all the excitement surrounding the launch of Lisa Cook’s new book; Delicious Crochet Shawls, 21 stylish crochet shawls. Did you see the Peaches and Cream shawl that @angelala242 shared on Instagram yesterday? Gorgeous, isn’t it!

All of September you’ll have seen gorgeous photos and projects from instagrammers and bloggers all over the world sharing their love for this new book and I’m no different.

This book is Lisa’s first; you know her as @lisasattik on Instagram, and you likely have at least one of her gorgeous patterns in your Ravelry library.

You can buy the book on Book Depository (my favourite bookstore) here*, or Amazon here*.

I decided to make the cover girl shawl, Berry Lime Pie, using a skein from my stash (gorgeous 4ply yarn from one of my fave indie dyers, Vanessa at My Creative Garage).

Because this is a single skein pattern, it’s the perfect size for a small person, and I just happen to have the perfect small person on hand to model it!

C’mon, Vogue..?

I love the open stitches and the shape. This particular pattern worked up very quickly. It could easily be done during a long car trip or a flight.

I thoroughly recommend this book, it is filled with patterns for beginner through to advanced crocheters, with extensive written instructions and outstanding charts and the sweet eats theme is just a lot of fun.

I also loved that I could stash dive to make my shawl; sometimes it can be so frustrating when you find a pattern you love, but are missing a ball or two, or just don’t have the right weight in the right colour. As if I need an excuse to go yarn shopping, but still!

Up next in the blog tour is Sweet Sharna. You know her from instagram, of course. Be sure to follow her here and check out which shawl from the book she has been working on tomorrow!

I’m just thrilled to be able to talk to you about this book by my friend Marianne! I’ve been waiting (im)patiently for the book to be released so that I could get my hands on a copy and finally I have!

Marianne is a friend whom I met via Instagram. I’m sure you already know her yourself, she’s insta famous with about 66K followers! I can’t exactly remember how we “met”, but she’s one of those lovely people who’s actually become part of my offline. We only live about 30 minutes apart, but of course we don’t see each other anywhere near as often as we should.

But, the book! I love all of the projects in here. They’re all exactly as advertised: colourful. I’ve had a hard time choosing which to make first, but have settled on the Ribbed Tartan Cushion.

I love that this is fast (you know I love fast projects) and simple and so beautiful. The surface crochet is so effective and this cushion will look great on my couch in a few days when it’s finished.

This is my favourite picture in the book, everything about it is so Marianne. This is in her little house on the canal in Amsterdam, it’s just so beautiful and that wallpaper!

Well, this is actually my favourite picture. What’s not to love about that smile. You just know there’s a lot of mischief going on there, right?

The book is filled with lovely projects for all skill levels. If you’re a beginner, then this is definitely a great book for you. There are projects to help you build your confidence, and then even more to challenge yourself to go to the next level and there are also more advanced projects for those of us who really want to have to concentrate.

There is also a Dutch and Turkish version of the book, so you can get hold of the language that suits you best.

Plus, at the back you’ll find a very useful section on some techniques that Marianne uses. Some really great instructions for ways to join motifs, make standing stitches, magic ring and more.

Overall, this book is a great all-rounder that you should add to your collection of crochet books.

If you’re in the Netherlands, you can order a copy from bol.com in English, or Echtstudio stocks it in Dutch (Eindeloos Haken). Internationally the Book Depository has it available for pre-order, so get amongst it!

Incidentally, I’ll be giving away a copy of Colorful Crochet on my Instagram this week. The giveaway will be open worldwide, and easy to enter. So pop on over to take a look.

I wish Marianne all the success in the world with this book, I’m already anticipating the follow-up!

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*Just a note: this post contains a couple of affiliate links which if you choose to use when feeding your yarn habit will earn me a small commission. This helps me keep up the freebies and doesn’t cost you a thing. Thank you!